Shadow's Rebellion
by Ice Krystal
Summary: Ajax Graves discovers he's a demigod, and goes to Camp Half-Blood. But something's not right. Campers keep on showing up dead, with no sign of how they died. With mysterious secret meetings at night and whispers of rebellion, Camp Half-Blood is far from the peaceful haven it once was. A new prophecy is revealed and it may be up to Ajax and his new friends to fulfill it. OC/2nd gen.
1. I Get Kissed By A Hellhound

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

**Chapter 1: **

**I Get Kissed By A Hellhound**

* * *

**_AJAX._**

* * *

_Thursday, June 6, 2041. _

It was a stormy day.

Thunder shook the ground, and lightning lit up the sky. It was dark, and surprisingly cold for a day in late spring. The wind was whipping around viciously, knocking down branches and tree limbs and anything else that couldn't withstand the blows. It was so bad, they were letting school out early, which I thought was kind of stupid; I mean, weren't we safer _inside_? Either way, we all had to go home now.

More thunder boomed, shaking the entire building. I hesitated, lingering in front of the exit. My house wasn't far from the school, but I would have to walk home in the storm. My mom was working, too. I shuddered as a student opened the door and went outside, blasting me with the cold wind.

It was like someone was mad up there in the sky. Okay, mad was an understatement; they were probably _furious_.

"Hey, Ajax!"

I flinched, caught totally off guard. I relaxed when I saw who it was, and he stopped next to me. It was just Cassius Harper, a classmate of mine. Cassius was African American, and had deep brown skin, with neatly cut nappy dark brown hair. He was a few inches taller than me, and built lean. I didn't talk to him much, but he had always seemed very friendly and jovial.

"Oh, hi, Cassius," I said, looking back outside. "Ugh. I have to walk in that."

He grimaced. "Me too. Wait, don't you live in that old house that everyone says it's haunted?"

I made a face. "Yeah. My mom's renting it."

I hated it so much. Ever since I could remember, I had had the strange ability to see dead people. Ghosts were constantly coming up to me and asking me to help them, calling me "Lord" sometimes. It made no sense, and was really annoying. The house _was_ haunted, and I barely slept at night because the spirits wouldn't leave me alone. Ever since we had moved in there, I had had dark rings under my eyes, like I was dead myself.

"Yikes. That's gotta suck. I live across from that place, y'know."

...I had never noticed.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

He laughed. "Yeah! You wanna walk together? It's a lot better than walking alone in the rain."

Though Cassius seemed as jolly as ever, something about his stance told me that he was worried about something. Was it the storm? Was that what was putting him on edge? Or... was it me? I wasn't... the most _liked_ person here at school.

"Sure," I said at last. It couldn't hurt, right?"

Cassius seemed to be hit by a wave of relief. "Awesome! Let's get going, then, before this storm gets worse."

I quickly raised the hood of my jacket up over my head, covering my messy, dark hair. The rain began to pound even harder, beating into the ground like bullets. It was coming down in sheets so thick, you could barely see.

"A'ight," said Cassius, reaching for the door. "Let's go!"

As soon as I followed him outside, I was drenched with the cold rain. It was _freezing_ outside, like it had dropped at least ten degrees since this morning. I was chilled to the bone. The wind pushed my hood right off my head. I looked up at the sky to see a white lightning bolt crackle among the stormy clouds.

This... storm... was not natural.

Cassius cursed. "I'm gonna hear about this later... C'mon, Ajax."

What was _that_ supposed to mean?

I let Cassius lead the way, saying nothing. I didn't _know_ what to say. I had never really been good with people. It wasn't because I was shy; I just never knew what I supposed to say or act. Luckily for me, Cassius didn't seem to be up to talking that much. The storm was really getting to him.

We walked in silence; the only sound was the pouring rain and the thunder. Cassius kept on reaching up and fingering a golden ring on the beaded necklace around his neck. It perplexed me.

Suddenly, I heard a low, deep, neigh-like growl. Something leaped out of the shadows. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen—in the front it was a horse, and in the back it was a rooster. It lunged at me, and I stumbled backwards, falling down into a puddle.

"Whoa!" I heard Cassius exclaim; he saw that thing too?!

I managed to crawl out of the way just in time as the monster reared up and pounded its hooves down into the sidewalk. I couldn't help but yelp anyway.

"Hold on!"

The wind suddenly blasted harder, pushing me forward, which was what I did not want to do. The monster let out a screech, and leaped up at me again. I—

Abruptly, the thing exploded into dust, fading into the rain. Somehow, through the sheets of rain, I could see Cassius holding a bright gold bow, like he had just fired an arrow at the monster. He lowered the bow, and ran up to me.

"Are you okay?!" he asked right before more thunder rolled.

I just stared at him. "What... just... _happened_?!"

His eyes widened. "You... saw that?"

"Yes," I deadpanned. "How could I _not_?"

He seemed alarmed, but yet something _else_ happened.

"CAS!"

Hooves clacked on the sidewalk. Cassius looked behind him, standing up.

"Andee?!" he said, sounding surprised.

I pushed myself back up into my feet. I was so cold, my fingers were beginning to numb and my hands were shaking. My legs were beginning to stiffen as well. I walked up to Cassius to see who had joined us.

It was a girl, probably around fifteen years old. She was only slightly shorter than me, with a lean build. She had long, wildly curly dirty blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail, tan skin, and startling sea green eyes. I supposed she was relatively pretty. She was wearing an orange t-shirt that read "Camp Half-Blood" and blue jean shorts. And she wasn't wet at _all_. But that wasn't what bothered me the most. It was the gold and white winged horse behind her.

"Cas!" she exclaimed again. "Look, you have to come to camp right away-"

"What is going _on_?!" I demanded, finally losing my patience. "First some weird horse-rooster thing attacked me, and now there's a horse with _wings_?!"

The girl looked at me, her eyes widening. "You can see Epona?!"

"He saw the hippalectryon, too," Cassius told her, sounding grim.

She frowned. "Do you think...?"

"It obviously went after him," said Cassius.

The girl looked up at the sky and scowled. "Great. Maybe _that's_ why they're fighting." She sighed, and looked back down at us. "Either way, we need to get to camp. There's... been another death."

Wait, people were _dying_?! I was so confused. None of this made any sense at all.

"What?!" Cassius gasped. "Seriously?!"

She nodded drearily. "This time, it was a camper from Cabin Five. It was... awful." She shuddered, and then looked at me. "What's your name?"

"...Ajax Graves," I replied with a sigh. "Would you please tell me what's going on?"

"Gladly, Ajax," she said to me, crossing her arms over her chest, once again serious. "I'm Andromeda Jackson, daughter of the legendary heroes Perseus and Annabeth Jackson, granddaughter of Poseidon and Athena. Yes, the Greek gods are real. _That's_ what's going on."

...What...

Cassius nodded. "If it helps, I'm Apollo's son."

...Well, that explained the archery.

Andromeda sighed. "Look, you're probably a demigod. You need to come back to camp with us. You'll be safe there. Monsters are obviously after you. And Zeus and Poseidon are fighting _again_."

I... I couldn't believe this... They expected me to accept that the Greek gods were _real_? I didn't know much about Greek mythology, but how could all of that be true?

"You saw the monster that attacked you," Andromeda stated. "And you can see Epona." She gestured to the winged horse. "It's all real, Ajax."

Well...

Cassius looked up at the sky. "It's getting worse. We gotta hurry."

"Wait!" I exclaimed, and they both looked at me. "If you want me to go with you, at least let me leave a note for my mom so she knows what happened."

Andromeda nodded. "Good idea. Lead the way, then."

"...What about your winged horse?"

"_Pegasus_," she corrected. "Don't worry, the Mist will conceal Epona from the mortals."

"...What?"

Cassius sighed. "Never mind that. We'll explain later. Let's just go."

* * *

I really not did want to have to leave my mom.

My mom, Mallory Graves, had never had an easy life. She had grown up in a small, conservative country town, and from everything I knew, she hated it. Her parents—my grandparents—were strict and overbearing. I guess you could say she was rebellious. But what really cemented her rebellion was her getting pregnant with me when she was just sixteen.

I didn't know much about my father, and I had never met him. It was hard to get my mom to talk about him, because it seemed to hurt her. But what she did say about him... it sounded like she really loved him.

My mom dropped out of high school after she had me, and her parents had disowned her, and kicked her out of their house. Ever since then, we traveled from place to place, wherever my mom could get work. It was hard. I didn't remember much from back then, but my mom was just a teenager and she had to juggle all that. She was only three years older than me when she had me...

I admit, I was kind of angry at my dad, whoever he was, for abandoning my mom like that. And now, finding out that he was a _god_—that might have made me even more angry.

I was relieved when we got to my house, but only momentarily. It was warm and dry inside, but the ghosts were there. Cassius and Andromeda didn't notice them at all.

I ignored them, heading into the sparsely furnished living room, and dumped my backpack on the couch. We were dripping water everywhere—well, not Andromeda—but at this point I didn't really care. I got a piece of loose-leaf out of my backpack, along with a pen, and went to the only table in the room—a card table—to write my note to my mom.

"Jeez," I heard Cassius say behind me. "You... don't have much do you?"

"That's what happens when you're poor," I retorted icily, writing as quickly as I could.

More thunder boomed, shaking the house.

"Do you have anything you'd like to take with you?" Andromeda asked me.

"Not really," I grumbled; I didn't really have anything I valued.

Lightning flashed, and then the power went out. We were plunged into pitch black darkness. But, like always, I could see relatively okay. I quickly finished up the note.

"Let's get out of here," Cassius said. "I really don't like the dark..."

Since apparently I was the only one who could see, I led the way back outside into the pouring rain. The ghosts called to me, and begged me to stay and not leave them all alone again—like they knew I was going away.

The storm was even worse. Epona, the gold and white pegasus, was jittery, bouncing back and forth on her pale hooves. She seemed incredibly nervous. Andromeda quickly walked up to her, and rested her hand on the mare's neck, speaking soothing words to the pegasus. Andromeda then looked back at us.

"Epona can only carry two people at a time," she said slowly.

...Oh.

Cassius opened his mouth to say something, but something came leaping out of a literal shadow—another monster. Epona shrieked in terror, rearing up and nearly knocking Andromeda down. The monster looked like a giant black mastiff the size of an SUV, with blood red eyes. It let out a fierce, deafening bark, spooking the pegasus even more. I had a feeling it was a hellhound.

The hellhound leaped at me, and I stumbled backwards yet again, trying to avoid it. I fell down again as well, but this time I didn't fall into a puddle. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing to be mauled to death. Instead, I felt something hot and wet lick the whole side of my face. I opened my eyes to see the hellhound panting right in front of me, wagging its tail.

...What the...

"Did it... just _kiss_ you?" I heard Cassius ask in shock.

I was speechless; I didn't know what to say.

"I can't kill it... if it reminds me of _Mrs. O'Leary_," Andromeda groaned. "Wait! Maybe it can help us! Ajax, get up!"

The hellhound backed up as I pushed myself back up onto my feet. The monster was huge, but was obviously making no move to harm anyone. In fact, it looked happy to _see_ me.

Nothing that happened today was making any sense.

"Listen." Andromeda appeared, stopping next to the giant black dog. "Hellhounds can shadow travel. This guy can take you safely to Camp Half-Blood. That's the camp we've been talking about. Epona will take Cas and me. The hellhound will be faster, so if anyone attacks you, just tell then Andromeda sent you. Okay?"

I nodded, although I was still pretty confused. "Okay."

"Good." She looked back up at the monster. "He really seems to like you. Maybe you should name him, so you could possibly call him again later." She looked at me again. "My dad has a pet hellhound. Her name is Mrs. O'Leary. I have to use a whistle to call her to help me, but something tells me you wouldn't need a whistle."

More thunder rolled, scaring Epona. Andromeda turned around.

"Okay, we have to go _now_. I can't let Epona suffer like this." She looked back at me. "Ajax, just tell the hellhound to take you to Camp Half-Blood. Oh, hang on. I, Andromeda Jackson, give this hellhound permission to enter Camp Half-Blood."

The monster let out a low, yet still booming, yip. I wondered what that was about.

"You're all set to go now," she said. "Let's move!"

The hellhound moved out of the way so I could see Andromeda jog up to her pegasus, and mount up onto the mare's back. She held out her hand to Cassius, who walked up to her and took it, and she helped pull him up onto Epona. Lightning flashed, and the pegasus finally spooked for real, unfurling her ivory wings and launching herself into the air out of fear. Then the two demigods were gone, leaving me alone in the storm with a strange monster that seemed to like me.

I looked over at the hellhound. "So..."

He looked at me, still panting; I had a feeling he was a he. He wagged his tail some more.

"...I should name you," I sighed, my whole body shuddering from the cold. "Uh... How about... Spike?" It was the first name I could think of.

Spike let out another booming bark; apparently he agreed with his new name. That was a relief. I didn't want him mauling me _now_.

"Okay, Spike," I said. "I need you to take me to this Camp Half-Blood place."

He barked again, and lowered himself down onto the ground. I figured it was so I could get on his back easier. It took me a couple of tries, but I managed to get on. Spike stood back up, and barked once more. Then he leaped forward towards some shadows, and we disappeared into the darkness. For a moment, we were surrounded by cold darkness, darkness I could not see in, but then we burst back into the light.

We landed on a grassy hill, with a massive pine tree right behind us. The rain was gone, but when I looked up into the air, the storm clouds still were above us. I highly doubted it had stopped raining; it had to be this place, this Camp Half-Blood.

I lurched myself down off of Spike, nearly falling flat on my face. I couldn't stop shivering; my clothes were still soaked to the bone with freezing rainwater. I hadn't realized it, but I was _exhausted_. So much had happened today... And I was so confused.

I looked down the hill, and saw a massive stretch of land before us. We seemed to be right next to Long Island Sound; I couldn't believe we traveled that far in such a short amount of time; I looked back at Spike. He looked pretty tired too.

There were many buildings in this camp, plus some other things. But I was too tired to really process any of this. Though the most friendly place of them, the one building that caught my attention, was a big blue house. I should probably go there.

But all I took was one step forward when a vicious bolt of lightning came shooting down out of nowhere, hitting the ground right in front of me. I was thrown back, my body jolted with the powerful electricity that did touch me. I hit the ground, the air rushing out of my lungs, and skidded back several feet in the dirt. I just laid there, my body stunned and still tingling with the voltage. There was no way I could move now.

Spike let out a tired wolf, but I knew he was too exhausted himself to really protect me. Plus, if he did try, he would turn into dust. And... I didn't want that to happen. But I couldn't find my voice or even move my lips to say anything.

Someone dropped down from the sky—I couldn't get a good look at the person, but they were tall and male.

"I knew the murderer was still around!" the guy exclaimed furiously. "You'll pay for this! But who let a _hellhound_ in?!"

What?! No—I still couldn't move. I was powerless.

"I'll finish off both of you," the guy growled.

Crap.

I could feel more electricity tingling in the air, like he was gathering the voltage. Was that his power, then? Was he a demigod, too?

Well, either way, _now_ I was going to die.

"PARIS!"

The guy froze. My vision began to fade as I saw what appeared to be a horse-man—centaur—galloping up to where we were. Great, _another_ weird creature.

"Chiron!" the guy exclaimed—was his name Paris? "I found the killer! He's got a hellhound, which means someone must have let him in! We've got a traitor on our hands."

I was starting to pass out...

"No, Paris," the centaur—Chiron—said. "I just got an Iris message from Andromeda. This is not the murderer. He's a demigod that she and Cassius found. The hellhound seemed to like him, so she had it take him here since her pegasus could not carry all three of them. Don't be so hasty to jump to conclusions."

I couldn't stay awake any longer. I slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

**_RAISA._**

* * *

The whole camp was going crazy with confusion.

It all started when another camper was found dead—Veronica Savage from Cabin Five, the younger sister of Zeke Savage, the resident bully, and son of Ares. I dreaded finding out how he reacted to his sister being found dead. He had been so protective of her... She was his one weakness. Though I had been a victim of his bullying, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Okay, everyone, calm down!" Sandy Flowers, our counselor exclaimed. "I know this is the fifth death since last month, but we need to keep a grip on ourselves!"

As a daughter of Demeter, I was a member of Cabin Four. Most of us were girls, though there were some boys. Sadly, the boys had a tendency to be picked on, like the boys in Cabin Ten, Aphrodite's cabin. We were a medium sized group, which made it easier for all of us to know each other well. It felt... more like a family. Since it was still spring, not everyone was here; only the kids who stayed at camp all year round, such as myself. I was one of the youngest members, being only thirteen.

"Sandy, what's going _on_?!" someone asked, sounding really scared.

Sandy ran a hand through her long, light brown hair. "I... don't know. Chiron will probably call an emergency meeting for all the counselors. This... is getting out of hand."

That was a bit of an understatement...

It all had started last month. A camper from Cabin Eleven disappeared, and then just turned up dead. There were no signs of death. He just... died. Each week after that, someone died. And now it was the fifth week. Everyone was scared, worried about who was next. Nothing like this had happened before in all of the history of Camp Half-Blood.

Was _I_ scared? Of course.

Sandy sighed. "I'm going to see Chiron now to get more details." She looked over at me. "Raisa, please come with me."

I started a little, surprised. "H-Huh? Why?"

"Just in case we need to help with something," she said, turning to go.

"O-Okay..."

There was no point in refusing; Sandy never took no for an answer. Without another word, I followed her outside of our cabin. It was darker than normal at this time of day, thanks to the thunderstorm clouds above us. I shivered just looking up them.

"SANDY! RAISA!"

A gold and white pegasus dropped down from the sky, making me yelp and jump back in surprise. I knew it was just Epona, with Andee and Cas riding her, but I hated being surprised. I guess you could say I was scared easily...

Andee leaped off of the pegasus's back with speed only she could do. "Please tell me Paris didn't kill him!"

Sandy blinked in confusion. "Kill who?"

Cas slid off of Epona's back; normally I was happy to see my friend, but right now was just too stressful and confusing.

"The new demigod," Andee replied. "Wait, you don't know?"

"All I know is that Veronica Savage was found dead," Sandy stated.

"Let's go to the Big House," said Cas. "Ajax's gotta be there, right?"

Andee nodded, and then scowled. "I swear, if Paris laid a finger on that kid, I'm going to kick his sorry butt into the middle of next week!"

It was well known throughout camp that Andromeda Jackson and Paris Leroy had an intense rivalry, if they weren't outright enemies. I didn't get why Andee hated Paris so much. I assumed it had to do with the issues their godly relatives had. Paris was a son of Zeus, the sole member of Cabin One. He had already gone on several quests, and had long since proven that he was a hero. Andee had too, but some people were saying she was just jealous of him. That I didn't understand either.

But... I guess I was biased... because I had had a giant crush on Paris for the longest time... A lot of girls did... He was just so... _amazing_.

I didn't stand a chance with him.

We hurried to the Big House after Andee told Epona to go back to the stables. We were all startled to see a hellhound laying down in front of the house, but it made no move to hurt us; in fact, it looked sad. Andee practically ran up the stairs, nearly leaving us behind. We followed her inside as fast as we could. Chiron was in his wheelchair, speaking with Mr. D and Paris.

"Where is he?!" Andee demanded. "I swear, Leroy, if you _touched_ him..."

Paris Leroy was a bit of an intimidating figure. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular build, though some of the Ares kids beat him when it came to muscles. He had short golden blonde hair that he spiked up with gel, and intense, electric blue eyes. He was incredibly handsome, and just looking at him nearly took my breath away.

Paris rolled his eyes. "The lightning didn't even hit the kid."

Andee was normally very calm and rational—but when it came to Paris, it was like she was a totally different person. She scowled fiercely in her own terrifying way. Oh no, what was she going to do?!

"Give me one good reason not to bust your pretty little face!" she growled, raising a clenched fist.

"Andromeda!" Chiron exclaimed chidingly. "Starting a fight will not fix anything."

Mr. D sighed, popping open a can of Diet Coke. "Anna Johnson, you're just as irritating as your father. Go away and leave us in peace."

"Where's Ajax?" Cas asked, sounding concerned.

"He's in the back resting," said Chiron. "I've done what I can to help him. All we can do now is wait."

"Um... If there's anything I can do to help..." I said, piping up, "...let me know..."

Chiron smiled at me pleasantly. "Of course, Raisa."

"Are we having a meeting later on today?" Sandy asked.

The centaur nodded. "Yes. We have much to discuss. But for now, we shall carry on as always."

"Very well," said Sandy, pursing her lips, still looking troubled. "We'll be going now."

"If anything happens, let me know," said Paris; it looked like he was leaving with us. "I still think the kid's the killer."

"Oh, for the love of the gods!" Andee exclaimed agitatedly. "Ajax was all the way in Johnson City! There's no way in Hades that he could have killed Veronica! We don't even know _how_ they're being killed anyways!"

Paris rolled his eyes. "We'll see. He is a demigod, isn't he?"

Andee looked like she was ready to kill him.

"G-Guys!" I exclaimed hastily. "P-Please don't fight..."

Everyone looked at me. I suddenly felt nervous, and my cheeks began to burn. Ugh... I wish I didn't always have this reaction whenever I spoke up...

Cas nodded. "Yeah. C'mon, we're all friends here right?"

Well, _most_ of us were...

Andee huffed. "Fine. Whatever. I have to take care of Epona." She turned, and we moved out of the way so she could get to the door. "See you later, guys."

After that, we all left too.

I couldn't help but wonder who the new demigod was and why Paris was so convinced that he was the murderer...

* * *

**Okay, welcome to Shadow's Rebellion! This fic, as you already know, takes place after Heroes of Olympus. This is just the introductory chapter, so you don't know much yet.**

**This will be long. It will span a few years, and have multiple arcs. And this will be my last fic. **

**So far for main characters, we have Ajax Graves, our protagonist, whose godly parent is unknown at the moment, Cassius Harper, son of Apollo, Andromeda Jackson, Percy and Annabeth's daughter and legacy of Poseidon and Athena, Raisa, daughter of Demeter, and Paris Leroy, son of Zeus.**

**It's been a while since I've read all of the books, so if there's anything I get wrong, please let me know and I will fix it. **

**Reviews would be awesome!**


	2. I See A Ghost

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

**Chapter 2: **

**I See A Ghost**

* * *

**_AJAX._**

* * *

_Monday, June 10, 2041. _

"Oh, you're waking up!"

My eyes shot open. I was in some kind of room, laying on a bed, still in my clothes, which were stiff from drying out. I blinked blearily, trying to clear my vision. A girl had spoken, and she was sitting on a chair next to the bed.

I had to admit, she was one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen. She had thick, wavy hair that was probably the deepest, most intense shade of red I had ever seen that went down to her shoulders. The front strands were braided back around her head, entwined with flowers. Her eyes were forest green, and her skin was fair with orange freckles scattered across her nose and cheekbones. She was wearing one of those orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirts, and blue jean capris.

"Where... am I?" I asked slowly, carefully sitting up.

"You're in the Big House," she told me, her voice soft and gentle. "At Camp Half-Blood."

So... I really was in this place... for demigods. I rubbed my head, probably messing up my hair even more. I winced. The movement hurt my arm.

"Here, eat this," she said, holding out a strange cube of some sort of food. "It'll help you feel better..."

Was it some kind of medicine...? I took it from her, and bit into it. The taste absolutely shocked me. It was like I was back at home, eating the one food that my mom could bake—red velvet cake. And after I had just taken a single bite, I felt all the aches in my body fade away.

"Whoa," I breathed, my eyes wide.

The girl giggled. "It's ambrosia. The food of the gods. Demigods can eat it to heal themselves. You're definitely a demigod. If you eat too much, though, it will make you sick. So you might want to save the rest for later."

I nodded, and the girl stood up. I realized I still didn't know her name.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked.

She started a little, her face flushing. "I-I'm Raisa Baumann. S-Sorry... I forgot to introduce myself..."

"It's okay," I said, trying to reassure her; she seemed really timid and shy. "I'm Ajax Graves."

"I know... Cas and Andee told me." She gripped the hem of her shirt, looking down. "U-Um... Since you're awake, Chiron needs to see you."

Chiron? Was he the centaur I saw earlier? "Okay."

Raisa led the way outside of the room; we were in a rather big house after all. She took me to what I assumed was the living room. The room was packed with some rather strange things. Sitting at a table was a man in a wheelchair that looked like Chiron—from what I could remember—and a chubby man with curly black hair and bloodshot eyes in a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt who was drinking from a can of Diet Coke.

"Chiron, sir!" Raisa exclaimed. "Ajax is awake..."

Chiron looked over at us. "I see. While I speak with him, would you go get Cassius?"

Raisa nodded. "Yes, sir." She looked back over at me. "Um... Bye, Ajax."

Without another word, she hurried out of the house, leaving me with the centaur and fat guy. I hesitated a bit, still pretty confused about what was going on. Chiron gave me a gentle, reassuring smile, while the other guy looked bored and irritated.

"I am Chiron, the activities director here at Camp Half-Blood," he said. "This is Mr. D, the camp director."

Mr. D snorted. "Not for much longer. And good riddance. I'm tired of dealing with all these brats."

Wait a second... "Mr. D"? I didn't know much about Greek mythology, but I did know there was one god with a name that started with the letter _D_. I just couldn't remember his name.

"...Are you a god?" I asked curiously. "Uh... Dion something?"

Mr. D's eyes flashed. "Names are a powerful thing, Jack Grant. I wouldn't mess with them."

"...My name is Ajax Graves, sir," I stated, trying to be polite.

He waved me off. "I couldn't care less. You heroes are such nuisances."

Oh jeez.

Chiron began to roll his wheelchair backwards, turning towards me. "Walk with me, Ajax."

Well, I was the one who would actually be walking... I left the Big House then, Chiron right behind me. Once we were outside, on the ground, he passed me a bit and then stopped. I watched in shock as he somehow began to pull himself out of the wheelchair. A white horse torso and legs came out of the wheelchair. The centaur stretched his legs, shaking his tail.

"Ah, that's much better," he said, bending one of his legs. "Let me formally introduce myself. I am Chiron, trainer of heroes. That is why I am here at Camp Half-Blood—to do my best to train young demigods so they can protect themselves against monsters such as the hippalectryon that attacked you."

So, did that mean he was a figure in mythology too? Man, there was a lot I didn't know...

"Chiron! Ajax!"

We both looked to see Cassius approaching, alone. He had on his own orange t-shirt, and jeans. He seemed relieved.

"Glad to see you up and at 'em, man," Cassius sighed once he reached us. "You're lucky you survived that... Andee hasn't let up on Paris yet and it's been five days."

"Five days?!" I gasped.

"Yes," said Chiron, looking down at me. "You have been unconscious for five days."

Holy crap!

Cassius nodded. "Raisa's been taking care of you. She insisted. I have some healing abilities thanks to Apollo, but she wouldn't hear it. Man, she sure can be stubborn."

It was hard for me to picture, after seeing Raisa as the timid, shy girl she was around me earlier. Maybe she was just really uncomfortable around me since I was awake? People... always were wary of me. I had no idea why. Was I scary or something?

"Well, I'm okay now," I said, though I wasn't quite so sure.

"Cassius, I would like you to give Ajax a tour of the camp," Chiron said. "And then afterward, take him to Samuel to get situated in Cabin Eleven."

Cassius nodded. "Gotcha! C'mon, Ajax."

I followed him away from the Big House, and for a while we were both silent. The sun shone down, with not a cloud in the sky. There seemed to be no damage done here from that storm. If I was remembering it right, Andromeda had said that Zeus and Poseidon were fighting again. I wondered why.

"Well, let's get this tour started," said Cassius. "Most of the activities are on this side of the river."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks, Cassius."

He laughed, smiling. "Just call me Cas."

* * *

Cas proceeded to show me around the camp. The whole place was freaking _huge_. I was probably going to get lost. That was something I was not really looking forward to.

"Here's the Forge," Cas said, gesturing to a building that looked like a mash-up of a Greek temple and a train. The white marble was stained with soot, and smoke was coming out of the chimneys. I could hear someone working inside. "The Hephaestus kids—Cabin Nine—are always working in there. But sometimes-"

_BOOM!_

Black smoke exploded out of the chimneys and the doorway, and the ground shook. Luckily, we were far enough away to avoid the sooty smoke. Someone stumbled out of the forge, laughing hysterically.

"Not _again_," Cas groaned.

The person was a girl around my age—I _think_. It was hard to tell since she was covered in soot. Still laughing, she wiped the soot off her face. I _think_ she was Hispanic—she appeared to have wildly curly hair pulled back into a high ponytail, and bronze skin. She was short and kind of scrawny, and had a mischievous glint in her dark eyes. She looked up, and saw us.

"Oh, hi new kid! And Cassie!"

"...'Cassie'?" I asked, looking over at my friend.

"Don't ask," he groaned.

The girl bounded up to us, looking all excited. "Hiya! I'm Gloria!" She grinned widely. "Gloria Valdez! Nice to meet ya!"

Jeez, she was really peppy. "I'm Ajax Graves," I said.

"Heeeey, I'll come with you to give Jaxy the tour of the place!" she exclaimed.

Cas made a face. "Gloria, that's not-"

"NONSENSE!" she hollered. "Come on, Jaxy!"

She grabbed me by the arm and proceeded to drag me along with her. I managed to pull myself out of her grip and stumble back to Cas. It didn't look like she was going to leave any time soon.

"Aw, you're no fun, Jaxy!" she huffed.

"...Cas, how do I get her to stop calling me that?" I asked him in a low voice.

"...You don't," he deadpanned.

"...Great," I groaned.

Gloria gave us looks, like she knew what we were talking about. "Don't be so serious! It's not healthy!" She was about to add something else when a loud, mechanical screech interrupted her.

A small, bronze robotic dragon came flying towards Gloria, whose eyes lit up. The dragon landed on her shoulder, tiny puffs of smoke shooting out of its nostrils.

"You're back, Festus!" she cheered. "Papa fixed you right up, huh? Yay!"

The dragon creaked, its jaw moving up and down as if it was talking. And I swore that Gloria could understand it.

"Festus?" I echoed.

She looked at us. "Oh, yeah! This is Festus _Junior_—he's a miniature automaton dragon! I made him with my papa a few years ago. His design is based on the real Festus, who is now the figurehead of the _Argo II_, that my papa also made!"

I had no idea what anything she said meant.

Cas gave her a look. "Ajax knows nothing about that! Don't confuse him anymore than he already is."

She winced. "Ahahahaha... Sorry. I get carried away sometimes. Right, Festus?"

The dragon automaton—whatever that meant—creaked in agreement, folding its metal wings against its back. It seemed pretty content perched on Gloria's shoulder.

Cas sighed. "Okay, let's get this tour over with before it gets too late."

Gloria saluted him. "Aye aye, Captain!"

Cas slapped his forehead.

* * *

Once the tour was over with, both Cas and Gloria took me to Cabin Eleven—Hermes's cabin. It was by far the largest and most worn out cabin in the camp, with chipped dull brown paint and a caduceus overhanging the door. From what Cas and Gloria had told me, all unclaimed children stayed in Cabin Eleven until they were claimed. And this would be my home until that happened to me.

"Sam is really nice," Gloria was saying to me. "But the Hermes kids are major pranksters, so I'd watch myself if I were you."

That made me feel so much better.

Cas led us up to the door, but suddenly it opened. Standing in the doorway was a boy probably around sixteen years old. He was tall, with short brown hair, a deep tan, and brown eyes. He had a sharp nose, and upturned eyebrows, and I had a feeling he was a major troublemaker. He was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

"Hey Sam," Cas greeted him. "Ajax is all ready to move in!"

The boy—Sam—smiled mischievously. "A'ight! I'll take over from here, then."

"Okay. See you later, Ajax." Cas gave Gloria a withering look. "Come _on_, Gloria."

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "Okay, okay! See ya later, Jaxy!"

She waved, and then grabbed Cas by the arm and proceeded to drag him off with her, skipping along happily. I stared after them, still a little overwhelmed.

Sam laughed, and I returned around to face him. "Don't let her get to you. She's got the worse case of ADHD in the whole camp." He smiled deviously again. "I'm Sam Stieber, the counselor of Cabin Eleven! Let's get you settled in, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Cabin Eleven was overwhelming. It was almost packed already, full of Hermes's kids and other demigods that needed to be claimed. Sam managed to find a bunk for me, though. I had almost nothing with me, so I didn't have any belongings to put away—aka hide from the Hermes kids. I just ended up sitting on the bed and being ignored as the chaotic activity continued.

Then, the horn blew, signaling that it was time for dinner. We all lined up with Sam in the lead, and then headed to the dining pavilion. The line was ordered in seniority, so I ended up at the very end. Campers weren't the only ones coming either; naiads came out of the lake where everyone canoed and wood nymphs literally came out of trees in the woods. The dining pavilion was pretty impressive. It was surrounded by marble columns, with torches blazing around them. A fire burned in a large brazier in the center of the pavilion. There was a table for each cabin—all twenty of them—and each table was covered by a white table cloth with purple trim. It was a sight to see.

Cabin Eleven's table was a bit overcrowded, but not as bad as it could have been. We all managed to have a seat, although it was a bit tightly packed. I saw Cas sitting at Apollo's table with his siblings. Raisa was at Demeter's table. I swore I even heard Gloria's loud voice from Hephaestus's table. Andromeda was sitting all alone at what I guessed was Poseidon's table. Couldn't she sit with the Athena kids, or was there not enough room? Or maybe she just liked being alone? Though, Paris—the guy who had tried to kill me—was at a table all by himself, too.

Finally, once everyone was settled, Chiron pounded a hoof down on the marble floor, and everyone shut up. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everyone else raised their glasses, too, and I hastily did the same, though mine was empty. "To the gods!"

Then, wood nymphs came to each table with platters packed with food—barbeque of all kinds, fresh bread, grapes, strawberries, and even cheese. My stomach growled from just looking at it; I hadn't realized how hungry I was. Sam laughed, and I felt embarrassed.

"Hey, you can tell your cup what you want to drink," he told me. "Anything you want—that's not alcohol, anyways."

I looked down at my glass, hesitating for a moment. "Uh... Dr. Pepper."

Deep, dark red liquid filled the glass, fizz foaming at the edges. I picked it up and took a sip; it tasted just like I remembered, if not better.

Everyone was passing around the different platters, and soon we had all filled our plates. I was dying to eat already, but everyone was getting up with their plates and going to the fire in the center of the pavilion. What were they doing there, I wondered?

Sam stood up with his plate. "C'mon, Ajax."

I got up as well, and followed him to the fire.

"We have to make burnt offerings to the gods," he explained. "'Cause they like the smell."

"...Seriously?" I deadpanned.

Sam shrugged, but gave me a look that pretty much said not to question it. I guess a lot of things that went on at this camp wouldn't make any sense to me. Once we got there, I saw that each camper was taking the best of their food and putting it into the fire.

Sam went before me, and bowed his head and tossed in the largest freaking strawberry I had ever seen in my life. "Hermes," he said.

I was next, so I went up to the fire. What was I supposed to say? I didn't even know who my father was. So I silently thought, _"Just tell me who you are, please." _I slipped a fat, juicy chicken wing into the fire. And when I caught a whiff of the smoke, it smelled absolutely nothing like burning food—it smelled like all sorts of good things all mixed together that you would think wouldn't smell good combined but did. It sure wasn't normal smoke.

We went back to our seats to eat our meals. Everyone chatted as they ate, though I mainly stayed silent. I couldn't help but wonder what my mom was doing right now. Was she worried about me? I wished I could have left her something better than just a note... My mom had been through so much, and I just wanted to make things easier for her.

I had never been a troublemaker per say, but I hadn't been the perfect kid either. Having ADHD and dyslexia made school even harder, and I had always struggled in school because of it. I didn't have a high view of the future; we were poor, and with my low grades, college never had really been an option for me. Camp Half-Blood was giving me a chance to find something I was good at... even if it had to do with mythology.

I had always been the "weird" kid. I could see the dead for as long as I could remember, and when I was little I thought it was perfectly normal and would tell people all the time. Eventually, my mom even had to tell me that not everyone could see them like I could. She said it was one of the many things that made me special.

Now, it just made me feel like a freak. It was just another problem that I had.

I was so deep in thought I hadn't heard the faint whispering by my ear, or the chills running up my spine; then again, I was so used to it my body might not have even registered it as abnormal. I snapped to attention.

"_Can you help me...? I'm so confused... No one can see me..."_

I froze. Oh no, not again. I glanced to the side, and saw a girl. Her colors were all washed out and faded, just like every ghost. She was obviously a camper—she had on the t-shirt. She looked like one of the campers from Aphrodite's cabin. I quickly glanced over at the table, and tried not to panic when I did not see her.

...Didn't someone say that campers were mysteriously dying? Crap, this was not good. I looked back at the girl, and kind of wished I could say something without alerting anyone at my table that I was seeing something. I didn't want them to think I was crazy.

"Um, Sam?" I said, speaking up.

He looked at me. "Yeah?"

"I... I need to tell Chiron something. It's important."

He frowned. "What? We're not supposed to leave the table."

"I... I think another camper may be dead," I relented.

Every demigod at the table froze.

The ghost girl gasped. _"Wait, what?! What's that supposed to mean?!"_

Sam looked pale as a ghost himself. "What... what makes you say that?"

I grimaced painfully. "Well, uh... I can... see... ghosts. And there's one right next to me."

The ghost girl's eyes widened with horror. _"W-Wait, do you mean me...?"_

I winced, looking down at my half eaten plate. "I'm sorry... Sometimes when people die, they don't realize they're dead... But... you are."

"Are you... talking to the ghost?" a camper breathed.

"Yes," I sighed.

"_Oh my gods!"_ the ghost girl cried.

Sam began looking around at each table. "Oh _shit_. Stella's missing. Stella Kline."

I looked back at the ghost, who was really starting to panic, and hadn't been paying attention. "Are you Stella Kline?"

She started, her pale blue eyes locking on me. _"Y-Yes..."_

"It's her," I sighed heavily.

The whole table was stunned. I really needed to tell Chiron, and Mr. D. This girl's body was out there somewhere, and it needed to be found. I just hoped that Stella wouldn't be sucked into the Underworld—or however that worked—before I could ask her some questions about how she died. But first things first, I needed to let Chiron and Mr. D know. I stood up.

"I'm going to-" I began to say.

But then everyone gasped again—even the ghost. I cut myself off, and noticed they were all staring at something above my head. Their expressions varied from horrified to shocked and everything in between. Confused, I looked up to see what it was. A black hologram of light that took the shape of some sort of helm hovered above my head. Wait a second! Was my father claiming me?! I had no idea what any of the gods' symbols were, except for Zeus's lightning bolt or Poseidon's trident, so I had no idea who it was.

"Oh my gods," Sam gasped. "This is _not_ good."

That did not make me feel good. I realized everyone was staring at me, and Chiron had begun to make his way over to our table. I felt more chills, and suddenly Stella the ghost vanished, dissipating into thin air.

"It is determined," Chiron announced, though there was a grim edge to his voice.

A sense of dread filled me. This had happened quicker than I imagined. Slowly, the campers began to stand, and then kneel, though they all didn't look happy, and some of them seemed pretty angry. Well, all the campers but Paris—who looked outraged—and Andromeda—who was more shocked than anything.

"Hades," said Chiron. "Lord of the Dead, Guardian of Wealth, Undertaker of the Underworld. Hail, Ajax Graves, Son of the Death God."

* * *

After that spectacle, there had been a major uproar. I guess no one expected Hades to have any more kids. I didn't know. I was just so overwhelmed; suddenly, everything that I had ever went through made sense. I had managed to tell Chiron about Stella, and they sent a search party out for her. Until then, we would have to wait, especially since her ghost had disappeared. The camp sing-a-long was canceled though, due to all the chaos, and because of the possible new death. I wished I could have been more help with that...

Chiron took me back to Cabin Eleven to get my meager belongings, and then he personally led me to Cabin Thirteen—Hades's cabin, and my new home. It was intimidating in a way, made of pitch black obsidian, and with a skull hanging over the doorway. Eerie black fire burned in torches nonstop. It wasn't friendly at all, and now I felt even more ostracized from the rest of the camp.

"Here is Cabin Thirteen," said Chiron, looking down at me. "Hades's cabin. It hasn't always been here, like the twelve Olympians' cabins. It is thanks to Perseus Jackson that cabins thirteen to twenty were added after the second titan war."

"Very inviting," I deadpanned. "I should give the designer my thanks."

Chiron chuckled. "Perhaps you will meet him someday. But before you retire, there are some things you need to know."

"Let me guess," I said. "No one is very fond of Hades, huh?"

Chiron sighed. "Indeed. It was... once considered very bad for Hades to have a cabin here at camp. Many beings—mortals and immortals alike—still find it very difficult to trust Hades, though he and his children have gained much more respect in recent years. However, I advise you to be very careful. We have never had three campers together at once that have relations to the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Although Andromeda is a legacy, it still has the potential to be hazardous. Either way, your presence is... not very welcomed."

I nodded. "Thanks for the warning, Chiron, sir. I'll be careful."

"WOOF!"

My ear drums were blasted by an outrageously loud bark. I turned around, only to have Spike pounce on me, knocking me down, and give me another slobbery kiss.

"Agh!" I groaned. "Spike, lay off!"

The hellhound's tail was wagging viciously, and he let out a low, sad whine, but he obeyed, backing off of me. I pushed myself back off, and tried wiping the drool off my face with my sleeve. But then, the scouts who were searching for Stella, came running up.

"Chiron, sir!" the camper exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror. "We found her! Stella...! S-She's..."

"S-She's dead," another camper—a girl I recognized from Aphrodite—choked out, already crying.

"But it's not like the other deaths... She was... obviously... _murdered_..."

Chiron was clearly alarmed. "Take me to the site." Then to me: "Go to bed, Ajax. You have had a rough day. Get some rest."

I nodded. "If I see Stella again... I'll let you know ASAP."

"Thank you," the centaur said, turning to go. "Good night, Ajax."

I watched Chiron leave with the search party. Once they were gone, I glanced over at Spike, who seemed to have calmed down. I reached out to pat him on the top of his head. He panted, wagging his tail happily. Well, at least I had someone who liked me.

"Night, Spike," I said, turning my back to the hellhound and heading up the steps to the cabin.

I glanced behind me before entering to see that he had plopped himself down on the ground, resting his head on his paws. I couldn't help but smile; he reminded me of the dog I had when I was a little boy, before he was hit by a truck... saving my life. I pushed the thought out of my mind, and entered the cabin.

Luckily, there was lighting inside the cabin. The walls were the blackest black I had ever seen, and glinted from the light. Six bunks were set up, all of them empty and neatly done. Had anyone ever lived in here before? I chose the bottom bunk furthest from the door, and plopped down on it. A wave of exhaustion hit me.

So much had happened today...

I was still having a hard time grasping the fact that I was a son of Hades. Hades, the Lord of the Dead, fell in love with a teenage girl—or something like that. He was the reason I could see ghosts, and maybe that was why people naturally were wary of me. I must have gotten my looks from him—black hair and gray eyes that everyone always told me were like silver. I was also really pale—hence my nickname _Ghost Boy_ in elementary school. That, and whenever I didn't get enough sleep, the rings that formed under my eyes were darker than normal. It was almost like... I looked dead myself.

I sighed heavily, and closed my eyes, forcing all those deep thoughts out of my mind. I needed rest, badly.

In a few minutes, I was fast asleep.

* * *

**Okay, so in this chapter, you met Sam Stieber, the counselor of Hermes's cabin, Gloria Valdez (who you should easily be able to figure out who she's related to), and Festus Jr.!**

**I really hope Chiron and Dionysus are in character! I'm not sure if I have a good grip on their characters yet.**

**It should have been pretty easy to figure out Ajax is a son of Hades, as I made it pretty obvious and clear.**

**All right, that's all.**

**Please review!**


	3. I Learn of the Prophecy

**SHADOW'S REBELLION**

* * *

**Chapter 3: **

**I Learn of the Prophecy**

* * *

**_AJAX._**

* * *

That night, I had my first nightmare in a long time.

I found myself in front of the forest that housed the monsters for practice, all alone. It was dark, but nothing I couldn't see through; I had night vision, which I guess was another ability from Hades. But there seemed to be a different kind of darkness seeping out of the woods—a deep, shadowy blackness that no light could penetrate through. I couldn't see through it either. And negative emotions seemed to be emanating from it—terror, hatred, sorrow, rage, desolation. It bombarded me, and I had to wonder what that thing was—it had to have a life of its own, right?

_Oh, what is this?_ an ancient, sinister, raspy voice said, and I swore it came from the darkness. _A little lost hero. _

I wasn't sure what to make of that. The shadows crept closer, covering all the grass, and I had a feeling that it killed the grass, too. I could sense when things would die, though I had a better grip on people, and everything around me felt... _dead_.

_So you are the one my pawn is so worried about... How pathetic. _

The darkness was getting a little too close for comfort, so I tried to back up. But my legs wouldn't budge. They were frozen in place. I looked down to see that the earth had reached up around my shoes, fastening me to the ground. It almost looked like hands.

_...Avenge me... my love..._ another voice said, this one just as old, but softer and feminine, with an exhausted edge to it.

"Who are you?" I managed to get ask. "Or... _what_ are you?"

There was silence, but I could sense that this being was laughing at me. _You cannot escape me, little hero. I am everywhere—I am the fuel to your power—I am the home of your sire._

Wait, the Underworld? No no, that couldn't be right. This was literally darkness coming at me—was there a personification of darkness? A god of shadows? No... This thing felt much more ancient—older than the gods, older than the titans... It was ancient and powerful... some kind of primordial being.

I really wished I knew more about Greek mythology now.

_You have great potential, such possibility... Perhaps you are even more useful as a pawn than my little traitor..._

I knew it. There _was_ a traitor!

The darkness was on me now. It was creeping up my trapped legs, and it felt deathly cold. I suddenly felt weak, like the shadows were draining the life right out of me... Could you die in a dream?

_Fear the dark, O son of the dead._

The darkness had almost reached my head, and I was panicking now. The rational part of me reminded me that this was just a dream, but it felt far too real to be one. But right as the shadows were about to cover up my eyes, I woke up.

Someone was shaking me. "Ajax! Wake up, man!"

When he saw that I was indeed awake, Cas released me and I nearly fell back down on the bed. I swore, out of the corner of my eye, I saw shadows retreating out of the cabin.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my bleary eyes.

"Past noon," he replied, giving me a look. "You slept in, dude."

"Great," I groaned, brushing my messy bangs away from my eyes.

"You better get ready quick," he said, turning to go. "Chiron wants to talk to you."

* * *

_Tuesday, June 11, 2041._

I got ready as fast as I could, throwing on the Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and pair of shorts I had been given. Cas seemed really grim, so I had to wonder if they had found anything else about the most recent death. After giving Spike a good morning scratch since he wouldn't let us leave until I did so, we walked to the Big House, and I noticed that all the other campers were pretty much shying away from us—avoiding me like the plague. I was used to it, but after thinking I had finally found the place where I belonged, it kind of hurt.

"Is this about Stella Kline?" I asked.

Cas winced, and nodded. "Yeah... She... didn't die like the others."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He sighed, reaching up to finger the gold ring on his beaded necklace. "Well, the others that died... There was no sign of death. It was just like they upped and died. Teenagers don't randomly die like that. But Stella... was clearly murdered. Her body was maimed and..." He grimaced. "She was raped."

"What?!" I gasped. "Are you serious? But that means... a camper had to do it, right?"

"Right," Cas sighed. "Chiron wants to know if you can talk to Stella again, to see if she can remember who did this to her."

Someone in the camp... was not only a murderer, but a rapist. Killing someone was bad enough, but rape was even more unacceptable. We scaled the steps to the Big House, and then entered. Andromeda and Paris were already there, and were clearing having a screaming match while Chiron, Mr. D, a satyr, and a redheaded woman all played pinochle like they were used to it all.

"Oh, for the_ love_ of the _gods_, where were _you_ last morning?!" Andromeda was shouting at the taller boy. "Don't go playing innocent! We all know you and Stella were having a thing, you—you _manwhore_!"

"Whoa!" Cas cried.

Paris rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean I did it, Jackson. Besides, what's it to you?" He smirked. "You jealous!"

I had known Andromeda had a major temper, but I never thought I would see it blow like this. I swore I saw steam shooting out of her ears.

"I am going to kick your sorry ass into Tartarus!" she exploded.

"Andromeda!" both Chiron and the satyr exclaimed, though I think it was for different reasons.

"Don't... Don't just talk about Tartarus like that!" the satyr chided, looking really pale.

"But he _deserves_ it, Grover!" she retorted, a murderous look in her sea green eyes. "Leroy, you are so dead during capture the flag!"

He rolled his eyes. "Just go back to Camp Jupiter, Jackson. You and Valdez belong there with the other lame legacies."

"Now now, children," Chiron said, finally interrupting. "We have more serious issues at hand than your quarreling."

Andromeda made a face. "Yes, sir."

"Of course, sir," said Paris.

Chiron looked up at where Cas and I had been standing the entire time. "Thank you for coming so swiftly. Ajax, I would like you to meet Grover Underwood, and Rachel Dare."

Grover was the satyr; he looked like he was in his thirties, and had curly brown hair and eyes of the same color. I could faintly see the tips of his horns above his hair. He seemed friendly enough.

Rachel was, obviously, the woman. She had to be in her forties, and her red hair was even brighter than Raisa's, if that was even possible. She had a mischievous glint in her green eyes, and something told me there was more to her than meets the eye.

Paris snorted. "I say that Graves is the most suspicious out of everyone."

...Seriously?!

"Dude, he just got here," Cas sighed. "You just don't like him because he's Hades's son..."

"I swear, if you suggest Ajax did anything again, _I will feed you to sharks_!" Andromeda threatened venomously.

"I'm _sooo_ scared," Paris taunted, rolling his eyes again.

"You are so full of hot air!" she shrieked.

Chiron sighed. "Andromeda, Paris, please take your argument outside."

Andromeda huffed, but obeyed, leaving the Big House. Paris sauntered out after her. Ugh, good riddance. He was so annoying. And he seemed to hate me already, and I barely knew the guy. What was I going to do?

"Please sit down," Chiron told us, and we did so.

Mr. D continued to play pinochle, completely ignoring us. Grover didn't seem to dare not stop playing himself; I guess Mr. D made him really nervous. Rachel, however, set down her cards, and gave us her full attention.

"Cas told me about Stella," I said.

Chiron grimaced, and nodded. "For months now, ever since the beginning of the year, campers have been mysteriously turning up dead once a month, but now, recently, it has been once a week. There has been so clear cause of death for these victims—that is, until Stella Kline's murder."

"It breaks the pattern," Grover moaned.

Chiron nodded again. "Correct. The cause of death is evident. We still don't know what transpired before her murder, and her cabin mates do not recall anything unusual. The only other difference is that you arrived here at camp, Ajax."

"Which is why Paris is trying to frame me," I deadpanned. "Even though I was unconscious and being cared for at the time."

Rachel waved us off. "That's just Paris for you. He likes to cause trouble. Just like his namesake."

"Something tells me he won't drop this easily, though," said Cas. "Oh well. It could be worse."

Yeah, he could have actually killed me with lightning that time.

"Ajax, we need you to seek out Stella again," Chiron said to me. "The key to all of this may lay with her. We need to know if she can remember anything."

I pursed my lips. "I'll try... if she shows up again."

"And Chiron," said Rachel, looking serious now. "We need to tell them about the prophecy."

"Prophecy?" I echoed in confusion.

Chiron sighed heavily. "I wish it did not have to come to this... But I suppose he deserves to know." He looked at both of us. "Rachel is our current Oracle of Delphi. About a decade ago, she received a new prophecy."

Rachel closed her eyes, like she was focusing. "It goes like this...

_Darkness falls across the land,_

_Sealing half-bloods' fates with its brand._

_Hardened hearts seek Olympus's fall,_

_And an unlikely hero will end it all._"

We all stayed silent for a while. I tried to process what this prophecy even meant. Just hearing it made me nervous. I mean it mentioned darkness—and that reminded me of my dream. The connection sent chills up my spine. I shivered.

"So... you think all the mysterious deaths are connected to this prophecy?" Cas asked thoughtfully.

Chiron nodded. "It is the only explanation... However, we have contemplated over this prophecy many times, and it still doesn't quite make sense to us."

"I know, I know," Rachel sighed. "I mean, what does that darkness part mean? It gets dark every night. I'm the Oracle, and I don't even get it."

What had the shadows told me in my dream? _"Fear the dark, O son of the dead."_

"Ajax, child, you look like you've seen a ghost," Chiron said to me, looking concerned. "Perhaps you have... Is someone else dead?"

There was no way I could tell them about my dream—not when I was already walking on eggshells thanks to my dear old dad. Besides, I wasn't even sure if they were really connected. It could be just a coincidence... Right?

I shook my head. "No, sir. I was just... thinking, that's all."

I was sure Chiron could tell that I was hiding something, but he didn't push the matter. "Very well. There is one more thing you need to know, Ajax."

"What's that, sir?" I asked, confused.

"After World War II, Zeus and Poseidon decided it was too dangerous for them to have children. Their demigods were much more powerful, and always caused great calamities," Chiron explained. "They forced your father, Hades, to swear on the River Styx with them. But since then, they have all broken the pact. Zeus was the first, siring Thalia Grace, and more recently Paris Leroy. Poseidon followed with Perseus Jackson. And now Hades, with your arrival. The lives of these demigods have been far from easy—it is the curse you bear from your powers and from the breaking of the oath. Please be aware of this as well, when it comes to how the other campers treat you."

So, basically, we weren't supposed to exist...? I hadn't been here very long, but I had already caught on that swearing on the River Styx was the strongest oath you could ever make. And we had to pay the price for it...

"Yeah..." Cas winced. "Well, we should be going. You don't want to miss out on today's activities."

"Wait," I said. "I have one more question..."

"Yes, child?" Chiron asked.

"What's Camp Jupiter?"

Everyone in the room froze—even Mr. D, who had been so dutifully ignoring us. I swore I even saw his image flicker, like he was briefly changing into something else.

"Boy," Mr. D said, his voice as dangerous as I had ever heard it. "We do not speak of them here. Some things are best kept silent."

"...Yes," Chiron agreed after a moment. "Cassius, please take Ajax to his first activity."

"Y-Yes, sir!" my friend blurted, standing up. "C'mon, Ajax."

He grabbed me by the arm and personally removed me from the room, and the Big House. I had a feeling I had mentioned yet another sensitive topic. Even the strawberry fields seemed to be glaring at me. Cas let me go when we were far enough away.

"Don't ever do that again," he warned me, looking kind of mad. "Nobody talks about _them_ anymore."

"Okay, okay," I said defensively. "Sorry..."

Cas relaxed, sighing. "No, I'm sorry. You'll find out someday, but right now it's just best not to mention Camp Jupiter. Andee and Gloria get razzed about it enough already." He shook his head. "Well, what do you want to do first? How about sword training? Personally, I'm not that good with a blade, but you need to learn. C'mon!"

* * *

Cas took me down to the arena, where they did all their training. Some other campers were already there, watching Andromeda teach another camper—well, I think she was teaching him. She was totally kicking his butt. Paris sat to the side, surrounded by some of the Aphrodite girls, who seemed to be fawning over him. Yuck.

"Andee's the best sword fighter we've got," Cas told me, keeping his voice down. "Don't tell Paris that, though. He thinks he's the best in everything."

"So I've noticed," I deadpanned.

Cas laughed, but then Andromeda finished off the poor guy as we stopped closer to the campers who were watching. She told him good job anyways, and helped him up on his feet. He was nevertheless embarrassed—and it didn't help that Paris laughed at him—and hastily returned to his friends, who tried to encourage him.

Andromeda flipped her hair behind her back, which was down today, forming nearly perfect dark blonde ringlets, and she turned to face us, completely ignoring Paris. "Who's next?" she asked and then she saw me. "Ajax! C'mere!"

Oh jeez, I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with _her_. I had been humiliated enough already. But Cas slapped me hard on the back, pushing me forward. I couldn't back down without looking like a coward. So, I steeled myself and walked up to where Andromeda stood, her bronze blade still in her hand. It didn't make me feel any better when I realized I was barely taller than her.

"Have you fought with a sword at all?" she asked me.

"Uh... No," I said slowly.

"Figures," she sighed. "Okay, I'll just teach you. It's not a problem!" She turned and gave Paris an irritated look. "Leroy, why don't you make yourself useful and go fetch Ajax a sword and maybe some armor too?"

Paris wasn't pleased to be interrupted in his girl time or whatever it was. "What do I look like, your messenger boy? Do it yourself, Jackson."

Andromeda looked like her blood was boiling again. "Gods, you are so insufferable! You can't bear to be inconvenienced at all, can you? Do you even care that Stella is dead?!"

"_He sure doesn't look like it..."_ a voice whispered in my ear, making me almost jump out of my skin.

Standing next to me was the ghost of Stella Kline, looking forlorn. Her colors seemed to have faded even more. I wasn't sure what to say to her... And then she looked directly at me.

"_Do you think he ever even loved me, Ajax?"_ she asked, her voice still that faint whisper.

"Oh, just shut your trap, Jackson," Paris groaned in annoyance. "You think you're all that because your parents are famous heroes. You're still not a demigod like us. You don't belong here."

"_He's always so mean to Andee,"_ Stella sighed, fingering her hair. _Why does she keep on coming back here when she can just stay in Camp Jupiter with her family? Is it because of Gloria?"_

Andromeda opened her mouth to retort, but I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Will you knock it off?!" I snapped, catching everyone by surprise. "You're one to talk! I think it's better to have famous heroes for parents than Zeus!"

Thunder rumbled in the sky, but there were no storm clouds.

Andromeda's eyes widened, and she gave me a look. "T-Thanks, but I'd watch what you say... I wouldn't want Zeus on my bad side... and he probably already dislikes us both enough."

Oops, my bad.

Paris snorted. "I'm not surprised to hear that coming from the son of the Lord of the Dead. You think Hades claiming you is unintentional?"

"Leroy," Andromeda spat icily. "All gods have to claim their children by the time they're thirteen. You're looking too much into this. Are you _trying_ to cause trouble?"

"I just came here to get a sword lesson," I groaned.

"_Swords..."_ Stella whispered. _"There was a sword... I can just remember..."_

Wait, what? I directly looked at her. Was she remembering something helpful?!

"_A celestial bronze sword..."_ she breathed. _"It was on my neck... But his face was in the shadows..."_

"Stella?" I asked, my eyes wide.

She didn't look at me, but everyone else had froze. _"I was sneaking out... to see Paris... when he ambushed me... B-But I couldn't see his face... I-I'm so sorry... I-I couldn't see his face..."_

Stella looked like she was on the verge of tears. She covered her faces with her hands, her body shaking, and her image flickering.

"_Oh my gods..."_ she sobbed. _"It was so horrible..."_

I was about to panic myself. How were you supposed to calm down a ghost?! I wasn't very good with people, much less _dead_ people!

"Stella's... here?" Andromeda gasped.

"Uh... Yeah..."

"_I was too young to die!"_ she wailed, nearly blasting my ear drums. _"There was so much I had to do! WHY?!"_

Oh, gods... What was I supposed to say? She could barely remembering anything, so I doubted she would be of any help. What she needed was to get to the Underworld. She seemed to be stuck here, so maybe she needed some guidance? Or maybe she was stuck to _me_, because of you know... I wished I could help her _somehow_.

"Oh Stella," Andromeda sighed, closing her eyes. "You were the one nice Aphrodite girl..."

There were cries of indignation from the Aphrodite girls with Paris. They sure didn't like that.

"_I-I'm sorry,"_ Stella choked out. _"I-I can't think anymore... I... I need to calm down... I-I'll come see you later..."_ And with that, she disappeared again.

I felt numb. I was used to dealing with the dead, but not like this. I was not used to handling hysterical teenage ghost girls who had been violently murdered. And yet she seemed to like me, to even be attached to me. Probably because I was the only person who could see her, but...

Jeez, finally a girl likes me and she's dead.

"Can we get on with this already?" I sighed wearily, feeling drained. "Stella's gone..."

Andromeda pursed her lips, but nodded. "Yeah... Let's go get you a sword first, okay? And I'm not going easy on you just because you're a newbie!"

Joyous.

* * *

_Friday, June 14, 2041._

The days passed. I didn't see Stella for a while, and camp actually seemed peaceful, like it was going back to normal—whatever normal was. I didn't have any more creepy nightmares either. Nobody died. The other campers kept their distances from me, but they didn't ostracize me as much as before. I was starting to feel like I belonged again. This was my _home_.

Though, at times, I wondered what my mom was doing.

My schedule varied day to day, but I always started the morning learning Ancient Greek with Andromeda, who insisted I call her Andee for short. She was pretty smart, and I had to remind myself constantly that she had dyslexia and ADHD just like me. After that, Gloria would snag me for the day, and we either would work in the forge—which mainly consisted of me trying to get her to build stuff instead of destroying it—or do arts and crafts. Next, I would be saved by Cas and we would practice archery with Chiron, work on our sword skills, or go canoeing. Raisa would teach me Greek mythology following that, though she still seemed nervous around me. So I spent time throughout the day with my friends.

But today was the big day that everyone was waiting for—capture the flag was tonight. Luckily, I seemed to have picked up some sword skills thanks to Andee's lessons and practice with various campers who didn't shun me. Hopefully I wouldn't be pummeled. Zeke Savage, a son of Ares, seemed especially eager to bust some heads since his sister died. The flags were held by Athena and Ares, which was expected. I was taken by Athena—after Andee had persuaded her relatives—and that put me on the same team as all of my friends, thankfully.

Still, I was a little nervous.

"You'll be fine, man," Cas reassured me as we geared up. "I doubt they'll have you do much anyways, since it's your first game."

"I hope so," I muttered.

Just then, Raisa came up to us; it was weird for me to see her in armor, with the helmet with a blue plume like the rest of us. Raisa was just too gentle; I had a hard time picturing her hurting anybody. It just went against her nature. She wasn't a fighter like the rest of us.

Raisa shuddered. "I have a feeling Zeke is going to go all out today... Be prepared to heal later, Cas."

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't really blame him... So much crap is going on now. I wish we had some answers."

"Don't we all," I sighed.

Raisa looked at me, hesitating slightly. "Try not to get hurt, Ajax. You're on border patrol. It shouldn't be that hard, right?"

It all depended, really. "I'll try not to get maimed."

"Okay. Good." She turned. "I have to go now. Good luck, guys!"

She bounded away, seeming eager to leave. Cas watched her go. He always seemed to act different around her. The way he looked at her... was different. I couldn't place it. Feelings had never been my strong point—I had a hard time figuring out others' emotions, much less my own. I wondered what it was...

Cas looked back at me. "All right, I should go too. I'm part of the flag's defense. Good luck."

"Thanks," I muttered. "I'll need it."

So I ended up standing by a creek, which did not reassure me; it made me wonder if Poseidon hated my guts too. For a while, nobody came nearby. But then Zeke Savage came, and a couple of his hooligan buddies.

I had already had some bad experiences with Zeke. He was a total brute—six foot three with broad shoulders and muscles like a bodybuilder. His dark brown hair was cropped short in a buzz cut, and his dark eyes reminded me of a pig. He was around fifteen years old. He had already beaten me senseless in wrestling, and I had no desire to repeat that.

"Hey, look!" he exclaimed. "It's Corpse Breath!"

He and his friends laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. I wasn't even irritated; I was more concerned with how now to die. I was majorly screwed. I had nothing to save me. What powers did I have? I couldn't summon lightning like Paris, or control water like Andee. All I could do was see dead people. How useful was that? It couldn't save me from being killed. Of all the gods in the universe, I was stuck with probably the most useless one for a father.

He probably wouldn't like me thinking that.

The three of them had reached me by now, and I uselessly raised my shield in defense; there was no point in trying to fight them. I had no advantage. I should have ran, but it was too late now. I was stuck.

"What's the matter, punk?" Zeke taunted. "You scared? Your girlfriend's not here to save your sorry ass now."

Wait, what? "Huh?" I said stupidly.

The three boys exchanged looks, and Zeke rolled his eyes.

"Don't act dumb," he spat. "You know who I'm talking about! Andromeda!"

...What? What on earth would make them think _that_? Sure, Andee had come to my defense several times this week, but she did that to everybody. She was just really protective of her friends. Plus, she loathed Paris with a passion, who seemed to want to make my life hell. These guys were just trying to rile me up or whatever. I wouldn't let them.

"You've been hanging around the Aphrodite kids too much, haven't you?" I said. "Only they tend to think about that kind of thing, y'know? Maybe you're getting too soft, Zeke."

...That ticked him off.

"Shut up, maggot!" he roared, suddenly jabbing forward with his spear so hard it pierced right through my shield, splitting it in half.

_Shit_.

The force knocked me down into the creek, soaking my pants. My sword slipping from my fingers. I was so dead now. I would be seeing my father sooner than I had intended.

But then a dark blur leaped out of the shadows, letting out a vicious bark. Spike landed protectively on above me, shielding me with his body. Zeke and his idiot friends stumbled back in shock. For a moment, I panicked. What if they killed Spike?! There _had_ to be something I could do.

Sitting up, I looked around. I probably only had a couple of seconds before they attacked the hellhound. As night had fallen, it was dark. For some reason, I felt like the darkness—which wasn't sinister like in my dream—was reaching out to me. So, I willed the darkness to surround Zeke and his friends. I couldn't see it happening, but I heard their shrieks of terror.

"What?! I can't see!"

There was lots of cursing in Ancient Greek and English alike.

I grabbed my sword, and Spike moved out of the way so I could stand up. But the game was already over. I saw Sam running through with the Ares's cabin's flag, our whole team cheering. The flag transformed from the tacky red to silver, with a caduceus on it. We won!

"Please!" one of the idiots pleaded. "Let us go! Oh my gods, I can't see!"

I reluctantly released them from the darkness, which faded away back into the night. They all looked terrified. Served them right. They quickly bolted, leaving me alone.

"Ajax!"

I was surprised to see Raisa running up to me, looking worried at first. But when she saw Spike, and that I was okay, she relaxed—somewhat. She lowered her sword once she reached me. I stepped out of the water, and Spike followed me. I patted him on the shoulder.

"We won!" I exclaimed. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah, but..." She seemed... scared. "W-We have a problem..."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Kendra Bello from the Aphrodite cabin found another body."

* * *

**Another early update!**

**Now you know the prophecy.**

**Not much else happened, besides capture the flag.**

**Please keep on reviewing. **


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